Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Boobyball bares all

For Candace “Candy Marie” Bascoe, one of four volunteer models who bared their breasts Monday for hundreds of googly eyed gawkers — all in the name of breast-cancer awareness — the stunt was more than just a cheap gimmick.
Both her grandmothers had breast cancer, and her best friend was diagnosed last year. Bascoe, 26, had a partial mastectomy herself four years ago after discovering a “golf-ball-sized” lump in her right breast. So now she’ll do whatever it takes to get people to pay attention.
“I could probably stand out here all day in a trench coat trying to hand out pamphlets and nobody would notice,” she said. “This is louder.”
October is breast cancer awareness month and Bascoe and her topless colleagues were promoting Boobyball 10, the flagship fundraising event for Rethink Breast Cancer, a Toronto-based charity that targets women under 40 for education and support around breast cancer issues.
It wasn’t clear whether the phone-camera toting young men were getting the message. But they were certainly paying attention.Deal or No Deal host and Canadian comedian Howie Mandel happened upon the half-naked ladies as he was shopping with his wife on Yonge St.
Bronwyn Stanowski jumped in front of Mandel flasher-style — spreading wide the blanket with which she had been momentarily warming herself. “It’s for breast-cancer awareness!” she cheered.
“Well, now I’m aware,” Mandel said. After posing with the models Mandel yukked it up for a local TV crew: “My wife was looking for a sale — and I found half off!”